Syrian Black Eyed Peas Recipes

SWISS CHARD WITH BLACK-EYED PEAS

Steps:

• Chop the stems and leaves of 1 large bunch rainbow chard. Cook 3 smashed garlic cloves in 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet, 1 minute. Add the chard stems; cook until tender, 5 minutes. Add one 15-ounce can black-eyed peas (drained; 1/4 cup liquid reserved). Cook 5 minutes, then add the reserved liquid. Add the chard leaves and let wilt, 4 minutes. Season with hot sauce.

BLACK EYED PEAS WITH HERBS

Steps:

• Pick through the peas removing any damaged beans or debris. Rinse and place in a large soup pot. Fill pot with water until it rises about five inches above the beans. Bring water to a brisk boil. Turn off heat and cover pot, letting it sit for 60 to 90 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Return the black-eyed peas to the pot along with 4 ½ cups of fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer, cover and cook for 40 minutes or until the peas are tender.
• Once the peas are cooked, heat the oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Once the oil is hot add the whole dried chile (it should sizzle a bit). Add the garlic and stir once. Add the black-eyed peas and cooking liquid along with the bay leaves, oregano, oregano, thyme, paprika and salt. Simmer for 20 minutes uncovered over low heat.
• Serve with rice.

SOUTHERN-STYLE BLACK-EYED PEAS

Steps:

• Soak black-eyed peas in a bowl of water for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add smoked ham hocks and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
• Drain peas and add to the pot along with seasoned salt, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour. Uncover the pot and cook until beans are tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove bay leaves and ham hocks before serving.

BLACK-EYED PEAS WITH CHARD AND GREEN HERB SMASH

Steps:

• Fill and boil a kettle of water and get all your ingredients together. Put a large saucepan over heat.
• Wash and finely slice the leek. Add to the saucepan with the coconut or olive oil and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, until soft and sweet. Finely slice the garlic and add to the pan with the chile powder and cook for a couple of minutes, until the garlic is beginning to brown. Add the black-eyed peas with their liquid, the stock powder, and 2/3 cup/200 ml of hot water from the kettle and bring to a simmer. Grate in the nutmeg, squeeze in the juice of the half lemon, add the squeezed lemon half to the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, strip the leaves from the chard stalks. Finely slice the stalks and add them to the pan, then finely shred the leaves and put to one side.
• Put all the ingredients for the herb smash into a food processor and purée until you have a smooth, grassy paste. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Once the peas are soft and flavorful and the liquid has reduced to a thick,soup-like consistency, stir in the chard leaves, season well with salt and pepper, and leave to cook for a couple of minutes. Scoop into deep bowls and spoon over the herb smash. If you're really hungry, some rice or flatbread would go well alongside.

SOUTHERN BLACK-EYED PEAS

Steps:

• Place peas in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Drain and rinse peas, discarding liquid; set aside., In the same pan, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the pork belly, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, pepper flakes and pepper; cook 1 minute longer., Add the broth, ham hocks and peas; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water if desired., Discard bay leaves. Remove ham hocks; cool slightly. Remove meat from bones if desired; finely chop and return to pan. Discard bones. If desired, top with additional fresh thyme.

TRADITIONAL BLACK-EYED PEAS

Steps:

• Place either fresh or dried black-eyed peas in a colander, and rinse them under cool running water. Transfer to a medium stockpot. Cover with about 2 inches of water. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf, onion, jalapeno pepper, ham hock, parsley (including stems), and garlic. Cover, and bring just below the boiling point over medium-high heat. Uncover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook just until the peas are tender when bitten, about 45 minutes for dried peas (though cooking time will vary with the age of dried peas). Do not stir the peas while they are cooking because they can break down too much. Add salt and pepper to taste during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• The peas will keep in their cooking liquid for about 3 hours at room temperature. Then they may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Serve black-eyed peas hot, along with their cooking liquid, in individual bowls. If desired, the meat from the ham hock may be shredded and served with the peas, along with the garlic and jalapeno peppers from the pot. Serve with hot skillet cornbread.